Clinical trials and research - 'I want people to find better medicines'
- Introduction
- Types of research
- How research addresses what we don't know
- What are clinical trials?
- Different stages of trials
- About fair tests
- Getting involved in health research
- Joining a clinical trial
- Finding out about the results
- Why all research should be registered
- Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
- How trials are regulated
- Ethics committees
- Data monitoring committees
- When things go wrong
- Sheilas-story
- 'The nurse made sure I understood the risks'
- 'I'm here because of women who took part in research'
- 'I thought it might help me or someone else'
- 'I want people to find better medicines'
- 'I can control my Parkinson's thanks to animal research'
- 'I'm lucky I found a trial that was so right for me'
Georgia Semple, who had leukaemia, has been involved with the Young Person's Advisory Group panel that works with the Children Specialty of the National Institute for Health Research.
''Having leukaemia was horrid for me and my family," she says. "I felt sick and tired all the time. The medicines were horrible and they made my hair fall out, and that made me cry.
''I had to go to hospital every time I had an infection, even for something small. I was on medicine for two-and-a-half years. I feel OK now, but I still get tired.
''The Children Specialty asked my daddy if I would be interested in being in its children's group, called Stand Up, Speak Up! I said yes because I want people to find better medicines than the ones I had.
''We meet once every two months. There are about 14 children in the group and we're split into two age groups: 9 to 12 and 13 to 18.
''We've learnt how medicines work, where they come from, and how trials are done. I know what a randomised controlled trial is. I'm in one for leukaemia treatment.
''We helped to make the information sheets for children better. We designed our own logos. I designed the smiley faces logo for Stand Up, Speak Up!
''Our group is helping researchers decide which trials should be done. We choose ones that should make a difference to treatments for children.''
Georgia Semple is on the Young Person's Advisory Group panel that works with the Children Specialty to encourage young people receiving medical care to take part in research.
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